where we help you tackle the tough issues facing us currently. tonight at 6:30 on nbc bay area. up next, lester holt joins us, and then we'll see you again at 6:00. tonight the showdown between joe biden and president trump over wearing masks. biden and running mate kamala harris calling for every state in the nation to immediately mandate masks for three months the president coming in front of the cameras late today doubling down on his resistance to a nationwide order. the u.s. seeing one of the deadliest days in the summer from covid in texas, one in four people tested coming back positive. and my one on one with the cdc director after his dire warning that this fall could be the worst in history. the battle over a school as new guidance from top pediatricians -- they say children should start wearing masks.

also post office in crisis and what the president just said about funding, desperately needed for mail-in voting the historic peace deal for israel, why the palestinians are blasting it. unemployment claims falling below 1 million for the first time in weeks but where's the relief the president promised the nationwide tribute to breonna taylor five months after she was killed by police. the family speaking out. the dramatic body cam video, the train bearing down, the man in a wheelchair, stuck on the tracks, a split second rescue. this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening, joe biden who is hoping to make the election a referendum on president trump's handling of the covid crisis called on the nation's governors today to require universal mask wearing, it came after biden and new running mate kamala harris met with coronavirus experts, and tonight president trump is responding but not exactly to what biden proposed nbc's andrea mitchell

has the late details. >> reporter: joe biden and kamala harris getting briectors on the coronavirus today. >> every governor should mandate mandatory mask wearing, the estimates by the experts are, it will save over 40,000 lives in the next three months. >> reporter: the president did not wear a mask publicly until last month >> reporter: this is america. be a patriot protect your fellow citizens. >> reporter: tonight the president jumped on that. >> joe biden would allow rioters and looters and criminals and millions of illegal aliens to roam free in our country. he wants the federal government to issue a sweeping new mandate to law abiding citizens. >> reporter: but biden does not support rioters or illegal immigration and is calling on governors to -- order masks. mischaracterized

biden's position to -- >> he wants to shut down our economy, close our schools, and grind society to a halt. >> reporter: biden who was briefed by coronavirus experts weekly today included his new raung mate. >> there may be grand gestures offered by the current president about a vaccine but it doesn't matter until you can answer the question, when am i going to get vaccinated >> reporter: biden and harris are also calling for a pandemic testing board to get tens of millions of testing kits and hiring at least 100,000 americans to contact trace. pied biden and harris are trying to make the president's handling of the pandemic an election issue showing how they would govern. lester >> andrea mitchell tonight, thanks, we're coming off one of the deadliest days in months there are glimmers of progress to report, including a slowing increase of cases across several states. here's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: tonight as our nation marks

the third highest single-day death toll since may the covid crisis is still very much unfolding in states like texas. while testing here has dramatically slowed the positivity rate is through the roof one out of every four people tested is positive for the virus. one of the highest death rates in the nation is in the reowe grand valley. >> that's her gasping. it's horrible. the next step is putting on a ventilator, which the family is insisting and we strongly disagree. >> reporter: while florida -- kentucky just reported its highest number for new daily infections there are signs of progress. two weeks ago 24 states were seeing at least a 25% increase in cases today it's only three as more americans take precautions. and while california just hit 600,000 confirmed cases of covid today

hospitalizations are down double digits and the death rate in l.a. county has stabilized. linus parker beat the odds after 31 days on a ventilator, but is still struggling. >> eating, sleeping, just sitting up. i have post-covid conditions that unfortunately impact every one of those facets of my life. >> reporter: with cities like nashville allowing bars to reopen cdc director dr. robert redfield warns if americans don't take precautions this could be the worse fall season we've ever had in miami thousands of dollars of fines for not wearing face masks have been issued but one local sheriff is ordering his flooe employees and the public to remove their masks when entering red quarters tonight the united states divided, over the threat of the virus and how to move forward. miguel almaguer, nbc

news >> reporter: this is tom costello, in states where schools are now opening up, excitement and high anxiety, in metro dallas, back to school supplies included a mask today in houston where county judge says it's too soon. >> the countdown to the first day of school in person is like a ticking time bomb unless we do this right. >> reporter: 1300 students quarantined. >> there are students taking this seriously but there are going to be bad apples. >> i hope other school systems and other parents see what we are going through and see that this is not working out for us. >> reporter: today the american academy of pediatrics issued new guidance that children as young as 2 should now wear masks. >> i want to make that clear, the risks are very low, but they are not zero, and tragically some children do die,

particularly those with underlying conditions. >> reporter: anotherthe academ children should be tested for covid if they show any symptoms or had any contact with somebody who's covid positive or who's scheduled for surgery. new york city public school teachers say the schools are not ready. mayor de blasio promised a nurse in every school. >> i really believe our schools are crucial for our kids, there is nothing that replaces in-person learning our schools coming back is part of how our whole city comes back and we've been planning for months -- >> reporter: today education secretary betsy devos reiterated president trump's message that teachers and parent concerns are exaggerated. >> the virus has not impacted children in the same way that even the average flu season does. >> reporter: but the cdc says 9% of all covid cases involve kids and teens so far 90 children have died. tonight the american

academy of pediatrics says young children should even wear masks at home to get them accustomed to wearing them in public and keep them on if somebody at home is at an elevated risk for covid. lester >> tom costello tonight, thank you. the head of the cdc, dr. robert redfield who yesterday -- dire prediction for combined covid and flu season is sounding more optimistic today. i spoke to him about school reopenings and what fall could bring. >> you, i think, alarmed a lot of people about your assessment of what fall could bring we've got the flu season coming up here very soon. you and i both know that even without covid schools can be petri dishes sometimes. walk me through what we might expect not only in schools but elsewhere. >> thank you, lester, i think it's really important the emphasis that i'm trying to make that i personally believe that the american public is taking heed to the messages that we said of the powerful weapons we have, the universal face masks, distancing, washing

hands and being smart about crowds and we do that, that we're going to have a significant impact on covid and we're going to have a significant impact on flu. i want the parents to realize this is time to embrace the flu vaccine with confidence normally only about 50% of the american public take advantage of the flu vaccine if we choose not to get vaccinated, not to embrace these mitigation strategies, it could be a very difficult time. >> reporter: i'll have much more tonight, on nbc news special, coronavirus in the classroom at 8:00 eastern here on nbc and on news now. and the u.s. postal service, something we all rely on as the center of a bitter battle between the presidents and -- voting by mail kristen welker at the white house with more. >> reporter: president trump offering his most direct explanation yet about why he is refusing democrats' demands for billions of dollars for the postal service and mail-in voting. >> now, they need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots.

if they don't get those two items that means you can't have universal mail-in voting because they're not equipped to have it. >> reporter: in a twist late tonight the president said he would not veto coronavirus legislation that includes funding for the post office. >> are you threatening to veto any legislation that includes funding for the post office? >> reporter: no, not at all, no. >> so you would sign something that does include funding? >> it's a separate thing, i would do it. >> reporter: earlier today the biden campaign excoriated the president saying he wants to deprive americans of their fundamental right to vote safely during the most catastrophic public health crisis in over #00 years. the president has repeatedly argued the post office is unreliable and that mail-in ballots lead to fraud. >> reporter: everyone knows mail-in ball loots are a disaster. >> reporter: recent elections that rely heavily on mail-in ballots have relied -- no evidence it leads to large detail fraud. it does have the capacity to handle

mail-in ballots but the postal union acknowledges more funds would help ensure there are no delays what is the potential impact of trying to under mine mail-in voting and the election results >> you have a president who is clearly saying we may not be able to trust the results of the election, this november, giving himself the possibility that he might challenge the result if he's defeated. >> reporter: negotiations for more funding for the post office and relief to millions of americans are stalled. lester >> kristen welker at the white house, thanks. and with those talks on new relief on hold, millions of americans are still in limbo, while unemployment claims dipped below 1 million last week, so many families are still suffering. he's jo ling kent. >> reporter: dee dee reed was the heart of dodger stadium. >> this would have been my 29th season. >> her entire family worked at the concession stands and bars inside until they were laid off in march. >> it's just scary to

not have a job, have to pay the rent, have to make our car payments, pay our bills. >> reporter: with fans not coming back anytime soon reed is among the 28 million workers nationwide currently collecting unemployme unemployment struggling since the extra $600 ended two weeks ago, although jobless claims dropped below 9 million last week, it's still four times more than early march and no relief in sight. with a stalemate in washington some states tell nbc news they can't afford to help pay $#00 of the new $400 benefit put forth in president trump's connective roared. >> there is just no room this our budget we've had to cut so many services. >> how long would it take to implement the president's executive order and get that extra money to people who need it? >> we know in colorado, you know, four weeks is a good benchmark for us once we get the information we need -- >> reporter: unemployed workers currently receive an

average of $332 a week, varying widely from state to state. in mississippi and louisiana, it's less than $200 a week, compare that to massachusetts and north dakota, where it's over $400 back in california, dee dee reed is asking washington to put people over partisanship. >> it's so stressful we don't know what's coming next. and they're sitting there bickering. >> reporter: hurting americans hope for better days. jo ling kent, nbc news, los angeles. let's turn to that breakthrough between israel and the united arab emirates, agreeing to establish diplomatic relations in a deal announced by the white house. nbc's richard engel is following it richard, how did this come about >> reporter: good evening, lester. for the last several years the israelis and emira emirate s had a close relationship, behind closed doors because of their mutual hostility towards iran

it got tense when benjamin netanyahu was threatening to annex the west bank, the emirates saying this was a red line and they got israel to back off of that intention and in exchange they are bringing this close but private relationship out into the public which is what we're seeing right now. netanyahu says all options, including annexation are still on the table it could be rhetoric the palestinians say it's a betrayal. lester >> richard engel tonight, thanks. a massive blaze is out of control demanding justice, the family of breonna taylor speaks out five months to the day after she was killed by police.

back now with a race to stop a wildfire burning out of control near los angeles, the massive infer know exploding to more than 10,000 acres, mandatory evacuations ordered,

homes destroyed and 5,000 buildings are at risk 0% contained. five months since the police shooting that left breonna taylor dead louisville, kentucky across the country today radio stations paying tribute to taylor as her family issued new calls for justice. here's gabe ambiguigutierrez. >> reporter: five months after the death of breonna taylor patience is wearing thin louisville. >> somehow hay can't figure out how to charge some cops who murdered a black woman royal protesters are calling for the cancellation of next month's kentucky derby. >> we cannot go home, we cannot get tired, we have to keep the pressure on. >> reporter: taylor, a 26-year-old former emt was shot and killed by police in march. officers who said they were at the apartment to serve a no knock warrant returned fire after taylor's boyfriend kenneth walker shot at them, thinking they were intruders. one officer was injured. the officers say they announced themselves, which walker disputes. none of the three cops

has been charged one has been fired he's not commented publicly. >> it's been 150 days. but it still feels like march 13th. it never gets any easier >> reporter: now oprah winfrey has joined the cause, paying for 26 billboards around louisville demanding charges. >> justice for breonna means an end to police brutality. >> reporter: dozens of radio stations aired memorials honoring her life. >> it's bigger than breonna, bigger than just black lives you know, it's about bridging the gaps between us and the police >> reporter: facing mounting pressure kentucky's attorney general met with taylor's family for the first time this week but there's no timetable on when the investigation might wrap up. lester >> gabe gutierrez tonight, thank you. and next why some schools are changing the history books.

as the debate rages over reopening schools protests over racial injustice are helping focus attention on what our children are learning. here's rehema ellis. >> our book are the bricks that build our society. >> reporter: chris emden says to understand society's uproar over racial inequities start where history lessons begin. when children first learn about black people in america what is the first thing they see in the textbooks. >> the first thing they see is slavery.

they may see an image of a family half dressed, you may see slave quarters. >> reporter: is that racist >> absolutely. if your introduction into my history is my downtroddenness you never see me as a victim for. >> reporter: one textbook passage said many may not have been terribly unhappy in current books deliberate omissions are just as bad. for example, this passage describes government policies after world war ii that made home ownership more attractive than ever leading to suburban growth, but doesn't explain how they intentionally discriminated against black americans. >> black lives matter. >> reporter: but change is coming in north carolina, amid statewide demonstration social studies standards are under review the state may find a model in chapel hill. >> at best a textbook is a starting point. >> reporter: this is the director of social justice academy at east chapel high school. >> you can only pass

down what you have been exposed to or sought out to learn in the first place. >> reporter: in his classroom, renowned poet phyllis wheatley is studied alongside the founding fathers. >> there's a lot of history i don't know. >> black people in the past who have done amazing and great things and it really shows me that there's really no limitation to what i can do in this country. >> reporter: pearson, the largest publisher of college textbooks is already making changes, reviewing 100 of its most popular titles, examining content and diversity of authors for example, the reference to parts of an electric circuit breaker as master/slave were recently changed to leader/follower. >> in this case we all suspend physical products in the warehouse and will destroy and replace them. >> reporter: it's a step in a field where chris imden says there's much work to

be done. how do we fix this sh. >> by having new textbooks with different perspectives. >> reporter: writing history by teaching every american story re rehemael is, nbc news, new york. up next, the heroic rescue on the tracks what he found in his sea.

plus.... coming to the remarkable rescue on the railroad tracks thanks to a california police officer who knew exactly what she needed to do

here's catie beck. >> reporter: officer erica was on patrol in california when she spotted a terrible accident waiting to happen. >> i needed to get him off the tracks. >> reporter: with a freight train fast approaching she ran from her car to reach an older man on the tracks stuck on the tracks. >> at first i tried to see if i can get it loose. the wheelchairsh. >> reporter: it wouldn't budge time was running out she pulls the man from his chair seconds before the train plows through. clipping the man as it passes he's now recovering from his injuries. in stable condition thanks to her quick save. >> i honestly don't think i did anything special. >> reporter: you've been with the department for 14 years, is this one of the more remarkable experiences you've had? >> definitely up there in the most memorable that i will have in my career. >> reporter: a split second decision leaving an imprint on her life and likely saving the life of a stranger in need

catie beck, nbc news. >> what a heart stopper to watch, amazing. that's "nightly news," i'm lester holt, please take care of yourself and each other. good night right now at 6:00, disturbing moments on b.a.r.t. an east bay rider is concerned for his life after he was poked by a used needle. the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening and thanks for being with us. junel wang is also with us. >> yeah, raj, school has begun in some districts but with distance learning in place, but some parents are fighting for the option of in-class

instruction. their lawsuit will be heard in court on monday, today they spoke publicly for the first time. i'll have more on their fight and the states response coming up in just a few minutes. >> that's an interesting case. we begin though with another wild ride on b.a.r.t. one rider tells us he's fearing for his life after being jabbed by a used needle on a b.a.r.t. train. >> reporter: this is a picture of a needle that an east bay rider says punctured his leg this morning after he got on the train at the el cerrito station. >> it was a needle wedged between the seat and side wall of the train itself. >> reporter: he was headed to daily city when it happened. he says at first he thought maybe it was a screw or a piece of plastic that poked